Improvement in railway ferry-cars



P. P. SHELBY. Railway-Ferry Cars.

No. 195,957. Patented Oct. 9, 1877.

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UNITED STATES PATENT PETER P. SHELBY, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY FERRY-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,957, dated October9, 1877; application filed May 19, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER P. SHELBY, of Omaha, in the county of Douglasand State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin the Transportation of Wagons, Teams, Live-Stock, &c., acrossRailway-Bridges; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a way by which railway-bridgescan be utilized for the purpose of transferring wagons, carriages,teams, live-stock, &c., across the water spanned by the bridge, with thesame dispatch and convenience as they are now transferred byferry-boats. It applies to bridges which are constructed for railroadpurposes only, which are not planked, and which have no facilities forgeneral travel.

Such bridges are often so constructed that it is impossible to changethem into wagon bridges, and when such changes are possible the plankingand additional wood-work required often increase the danger ofdestruction by fire.

With the aid of my invention railroad-bridges afford a means of transitwhich is free from the dangers and interruptions to which a ferry-boatis subject, especially during the winter and spring seasons.

My invention relates to an improved method of transferring wagons,teams, live-stock, &c., across railway-bridges, which corresponds to andresembles the method in common use of ferrying the same acrossriversthat is, a car is provided, which may be either a single car or anumber of cars so coupled and combined, with the spaces between themcovered by bridges, as to make a continuous, unbroken floor from end toend.

The conveyance thus formed may, for convenience, be called a ferry-car,as it is employed for the same purpose as a ferry-boat, and in a similarmanner; and in the following description I will use this term, meaningthe conveyance whether composed of one or several cars.

Landings are provided at convenient points near the ends of the bridge,from. which the wagons, teams, 850., can be driven onto or into one endof the ferry-car. The ferry-car is backed up to the landing at one endof the bridge; a hinged platform at the end of the car is lowered ontothe landing; the teams, carriages, &c., are driven into or upon theferrycar, as in the case of a ferry-boat; the ferrycar is taken acrossthe bridge to the landing on the opposite side; the front end of theferry-car is run up to the landing; the drop-platform is lowered uponthe same, and the teams, carriages, &c., are driven off.

My invention consists of a ferry-car adapted to the purpose of ferryingteams, carriages, live-stock, &c., across railway-bridges.

It is made, preferably, of two platform-cars covered at the sides andtop, and constructed so that they can be closely coupled, with a bridgespanning the space between them, so as to make a continuous, unbrokenplatform from end to end. Each end of the ferry-car has an apron hingedto the edge of the platform, which is raised and lowered by wire ropesand Windlass. When lowered onto the landings at the ends of the route,they form roadways for the wagons to drive onto and off from theferry-car, and, when raised, they close the ends of the car, eitherpartially or entirely.

The brakes are connected, so that when the ferry-car is made up ofseveral cars combined they can all be operated from either end of theferry-car; and various devices are introduced for the purpose of lockingand securing wagons in their places when in transit, as will hereinaftermore fully appear.

The cars are made wide enough (fourteen feet three inches) toaccommodate two teams abreast; and to run these wide cars in connectionwith bridges which are laid with tracks of ordinary width, a broad-gagetrack of six feet is laid outside of the rails of the ordinary track onthe bridge, and diverging from the main track to the ferry-car landings.

My invention further consists of an improved method of operating theferry-carrunning between the landings 011 a broad-gage track, inconnection with the locomotive on the ordinary track, as willhereinafter fully appear.

My invention further consists of an improved coupling for coupling thelocomotive to the ferry-car, so that the locomotive, which runs 011 themain track, on reaching the points where the broad-gage track branchesoff to the landings, will continue on the main track, and, as theferry-car, following the broad gage, diverges from the line of the maintrack, will automatically uncouple itself.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ferry-car made up of two cars, asdescribed. Fig. 2 is a plan of a landing and of the tracks leading tothe same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a landing and the endof a carat the landin Fig. 4 is a plan of a portion of the interior of acar, showing the bridge a, which spans the space between the cars. Fig.5 shows the automatic coupling used between the ferry-car and thelocomotive; and Fig. 6, one of the cross-bars, 111, used to secure thewagons and keep them in place whenin transit.

The drawings and the description apply to cars made to accommodate twoteams abreast, and, when it is practicable, I prefer to use these largecars; but it may be impossible to run them on some bridges, and thespecification applies as well to cars of the ordinary width of ten feetadapted to run on tracks of the ordinary four feet eight and one-halfinch gage.

The rimming-gear structure of the cars is the same as now used forordinary railway purposes; but I prefer to use car-wheels twenty inchesin diameter instead of the ordinary wheels, that are thirtythrec inchesin diameter, and the trucks are constructed with all the necessarysprings, similar to those of a sleeping-car, so as to give the cars asmooth and easy carriage.

The ferry-car is made up of two or more grailwaycars, each fifty feet inlength, femteen feet three inches in width, (or ten feet in width forthe gage of four feet eight and one-half inches,) and ten feet inheight, of clear space between the floor and roof sufiicient toaccommodate any ordinary load.

The cars are coupled together, and a bridge, a, extends from one car tothe other, completely spanning the space over the coupling between thecars, so as to make them as one continuous car. The bridge a is fastenedby means of loops and staples at one end, attached to the floor of onecar, and the other end of the bridge rests loosely on the floor of theother car, upon a sheet-iron plate embedded in the floor of the car, toprevent the wearing of the car by friction. The bridge is constructedwith curved ends a, Fig. 4, which project slightly beyond the sides ofthe cars through slits at the bottom of the sides, so that in passingcurves there will never be any openings in the floor of the ferrycarbetween the ends of the bridge a and the sides of the cars. The sides ofthe cars, from the floors three feet upward, telescope loosely into eachother about two inches, and the remainder of the space from said pointsup the sides and across the top is inclosed with canvas or leather 1),fastened to each car, with sufficient slack to allow room for passingover curves. The cars are coupled together with the strongest possiblecouplings, and also supplied with safety-chains.

At each end of the ferry-ear there is a drop platform or apron, f,hinged at the bottom to the end of the car-floor, and raised and loweredby wire ropes g, which are attached to the corners or sides of the apronf, and pass over sheaves g at the proper angle 011 the inside of the cardown to a Windlass, h, beneath the car, which is worked by a removablecrank placed on the outside of the car, so as to be taken off when inmotion; and I intend to colmterbalance the weight of the hingedplatforms f by weights or springs placed at the top of the car, andconnected by wire ropes with the outer corners of the same.

The aprons fare used for and answer as the ends of the ferry-car whenup, and, when lowered upon the landings l at the ends of the route, asroadways 011 which to drive into or out of the ferry-car.

The ends of the ferry-car may be closed by two doors, in place of theapron f, hinged at the sides, and swinging outward, so that they willform the sides of the chute when the car is at a landing. With thisconstruction there should be a hinged platform attached to the landing,which can be dropped onto the floor of the car, or else a plank, whichcan be run out and drawn back to bridge the space between the car andlanding.

Two brake-staffs, d d, are attached to the outside of the car near theend, with a footboard, 0, five feet six inches above the floor of thecar, which projects nine inches on the outside and three inches on theinside of the car. The ratchets project two-thirds on the outside of thecar and one-third on the inside, and the dogs are attached to thefoot-board on the inside of the ear. One of the brakestafl's, d, isconnected with the brake-rod of the car, to which the staffs areattached, and the other, (1, is connected, by a long rod, d, with thebrakes of the other car. The brakerods are connected with horizontalbrake-levers attached to the bottom of the car near the sides. By thisarrangement all the brakes can be controlled and operated from eitherend of the ferry-car, and if the cars uncouple the strain on the rods01' will apply the end brakes before the strain comes on thesafetychains. An additional rod connecting the brake-levers on theextreme ends can be attached for this purpose, so that the brakestaffswill not be unnecessarily strained.

'The opening in the side of the car left for the purpose of operatingthe brakes is closed by a sliding door, '1'.

The sides of the cars are constructed with two openings, k 7:, runningthe whole length, each one inch and a half wide, one at the floor andthe other two feet therefrom; and windows are placed near the roof, withpainted glass, protected by iron gratings on the inside.

The floor of the car is divided by a low division-railing, 2', about sixinches deep, placed in sections, and attached to the floor by means ofsockets and stakes.

The cars are supplied with cross-bars m, which extend, when in position,from the division-railing i to the posts 0 on the sides of the car.

The bars m are made with a recess in one end, which receives a post, 0,and an iron pin, m, passes through the other end of the bar into asocket in the center rail *5. The recessed end is made of iron plates m,which are fastened to and project beyond the end of the bar m. Thesepass through the openings 70 in the side of the car, one on each side ofa post, 0.

When the wagons are in place on the ferrycar the bars on are placedbehind them, and strong leather straps secured to the bars are fastenedto the hind axle-trees, preventing the horses from moving backward orforward. Chains n, Fig. 4, are also attached to the side posts 0, atconvenient distances to be fastened to the wagon-wheels for the samepurpose.

To accommodate the wide cars, the broadgage track p p is laid outside ofthe ordinary track q q, branching off at convenient points to thelandings l.

The couplings used between the cars and the engine are constructed ofhook drawbars, somewhat like the Miller draw bar, but differing fromthat bar by being precisely at right angles with the axis of the car.

The draw-bar .9, attached to the ferry-car, is stationary, and thedraw-bar r, attached ,to the locomotive, or to the car which is coupledto the ferry-car, hangs on a pivot, and swings only far enough to allowthe two hooks to pass each other.

The draw bar 1" swings into place and couples, and a pin, t, is thenplaced on the outside of the bar 4", holding it in position.

The draw-bar sis constructed with a heel, 8, against which the draw-barr strikes before coupling, so as to prevent the locomotive and carsjamming together.

When the locomotive or other car is coupled to the ferry-car in thismanner, the arrangement answers all the requirements of the Millercoupling, and operates as a self-uncoupler when the ferry-car arrives atthe frogs or crossings at the turning-off point to the ferry-car landingor chute, for egress from or ingress to the same.

The tracks q q are laid almost to the landing, for the locomotive toback down onto to draw out the ferry-car.

If the landings at the ends of the route are on opposite sides of themain track, and on the left-hand side of the main track when approachedfrom the bridge, then the position of the draw-bars 1" s will be rightfor uncoupling automatically; and when the landings are on theright-hand side of the main track when approached from the bridge, theposition of the hooks of the draw-bars r s will be reversed; but if bothlandings are on the same side of the main track, so that at one end theferrycar turns off to the right and at the other end to the left, thenthe draw-bar s at one end of the ferry-car will be placed in theposition shown in Fig. 5, so as to uncouple to the left, and at theother end it will be placed in the reverse position, so as to uneoupleto the right.

The engine should have pilots and draw-bars r at both ends.

The track from the turning-off point to the landing Z is constructed ona gradual incline, so that the cars will receive momentum enough bytheir own weight to carry them from the uncoupling-point to the chute.

The principal object of the uncoupler is to give the engineer anopportunity to reduce the rate of speed to three miles per hour at theuncoupling-point, and thereby avoid all the objections to a flyingswitch, leaving the brakeman to govern the rate of speed of the ferry 7car from the point of uncoupling until it arrives at the bumping-post orthe landing I, for which purpose the two brakes cl (1 are placed neartogether, for convenience in operating them, and for security in caseone should fail.

The chute is of the same width as the terr v car, with suitable guardsat the sides, and the apron f of the ferry-car, when lowered thereon,constitutes a portion of the floor of the chute or landing I, the wholeforming an inclined plane from the end of the ferry-car to the street.

when cars adapted to run on a track of the ordinary gage are used, thecenter rail i is dispensed with, and the cross-bars m, for retainingwagons in place, extend from side to side, and each end is made with theside plates m, to grasp the posts 0, one of the plates, however, beingmade with a slot, so it can be drawn back in order to place the bar inposition, and then pushed out by the side of the car-post 0, and held inplace by an iron pin.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as my own, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A railroad ferry-car having an unobstructed floor orplattorminthedirection ofits length, so that teams and wagons can be driven upon thesame at one end and off at the other, in combination with landingsplaced across the ends of the track, at convenient points, near the endsof a railroad-bridge, and drop-plat forms of the full width, or nearlyfull width, of the car, for forming roadways between the landings andthe ends of the ferry-car, substantially as described, and for thepurpose set forth.

.2. A railroad ferry-car composed of two or more cars having clear,unobstructed floors or platfinms from end to end, coupled together andcombined with bridges u, of the full width, or nearly the full width, ofthe cars, spanning the spaces between them, the whole forming acontinuous floor or platform, so that teams and wagons can be drivenupon the same at one end and off at the other, substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose set forth..

3. A ferryear composed of two or more covered ears, constructed withbridges a, flexible coverings I), drop-plattbrms f, and with the brakesconnected and arranged, substantially as described, so as to be operatedfrom the ends of the ferryrar, the whole being eonstrueted substantiallyas and for the lllllPOSPS set forth.

4. The method of operating the terry-train herein described, whichconsists of running the ferry-car on a broad-gage track, and thelocomotive on a narrow-gage, with an auto matic coupling connectingthem, so that when the train reaches the point where the broadgage trackdiverges to the landing, the locomotive continues on the narrowgagetrack, while the ferry-car, following the broad-gage track, turns ofi,without the aid of a switch, to the landing.

5. The automatic coupling formed of the two hook draw-bars r and 8,having their bearing-faces at right anglesv to the axis of the train,the bar 8 being stationary and made with the heel s, which acts as abuffer for the end of the bar r, while the bar 1" swings on a pivot andis held in place by a pin the whole constructed and operating as and orthe purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I afiix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

PETER P. SHELBY.

Witnesses:

E. I). FRANK, A. L. FRANK.

